January 29, 2011

January is Soup to Cleaning Up Your Computer month

Today, about 44 million Americans – one in six children, about 18 percent of all American children – are living below the poverty line. These families are making hard choices between food, health care, heat, and rent. To bring attention to this national crisis, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development has designated January as Poverty in America Awareness Month.

Bath Safety Month is a good time to examine your bathroom and determine how to make it safer for children, grandchildren, adults, and yourself. The Home Safety Council offers tips such as mats, grab bars, and other safety measures for making bathrooms safer for peoples of all ages.

About 11,000 American women will learn they have cervical cancer this year, and nearly 4,000 will die from an advanced form of the disease. The purpose of Cervical Health Awareness Month is to educate women about the importance of the Pap test as a screening tool for cervical cancer and about vaccines that are available to protect against the human papillomavirus.

As many as 59 million Americans have thyroid problems. The majority of these are undiagnosed and untreated, because patients and their health care providers may be unaware of the risk factors and the signs and symptoms of a thyroid condition.

The purpose of National Volunteer Blood Donor Month is to remind Americans of the importance of donating blood. The holidays and recent severe weather across the nation have added to the already low blood reserves.

Glaucoma damages the eye's optic nerve. It’s a leading cause of blindness in the United States. It usually happens when the fluid pressure inside the eyes slowly rises, damaging the optic nerve. Often there are no symptoms at first, but a comprehensive eye exam can detect glaucoma.

So enjoy a cup of soup while you clean up your computer. Then think about how long it’s been since you’ve had a medical checkup or had your eyes checked.